Does empathy breed pain?
by xfmoon
Summary: She was a good and understanding person, but her empathy was going to end up hurting both her and him in the end. A little tag to 1x13 Karma Chameleon.


**A/N:** It's so nice to finally have an air date for season 2. These characters are still giving me feels, and I've been prone to reading lyatt/wucy fics and watching fanvids on YouTube lately, and that's so not helping my obsession.

 **Spoilers:** for 1x13 Karma Chameleon.

 **Disclaimer:** I'm pretty sure I own a reasonably amount of empathy, that however doesn't mean I own the rights to Timeless.

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It was late. Why had he come here? He knew of course, this was his last and only chance to get Jessica back. He was going to right a wrong, by stealing the Lifeboat no less, with Rufus' help, and go back to make sure that Jessicas killer's parents never met.

He was thorn. This was not a decision that he had made lightly. But there was no time left, he needed help, and Lucy was one of the only people that he trusted. He really didn't want to drag her into all of this, into his drama. But Jessica's death had been his fault, and now he could save her. That was his hope anyway.

Lucy had started out calling him and his plan insane. But she had still been willing to go with him. He wouldn't want to get her into any more trouble than he already was by being here now, and make her forfeit her chance of getting her sister back. She understood, yet he could see that she was hurting. And that stung deep into his heart. But he told himself that it was worth it, if he could get Jessica back. That this pain wouldn't matter, because then he might have not even met Lucy, and so would have never caused her any pain.

Yet he still felt guilty. So much so that it hurt to look at her. The weight he had just put on her was so heavy that she had to sit down. What he'd just said to her made it sound like she meant nothing to him, that she wasn't as important as his late wife. That wasn't the case exactly, it was complicated. What he needed to do, and what he wanted to do, and what he was going to do, it didn't coincide. He justified his actions by convincing himself that he wasn't doing this for purely selfish reasons, he was saving two other lives, two other women by doing this.

She tried to hold in the tears, without success. He wanted to comfort her, but didn't think he had the right to, not now, with what he was about to do. So, he asked her instead: "Are you okay?"

She decided to ignore the loaded question and went right for a more collected retort: "What do you need me to do?"

He told her his plan. When he had finished Lucy asked a very poignant question: "Why does this feel like we're saying goodbye?"

He didn't have an answer for her. Her understanding and empathy was soul crushing, but he was desperate. And a desperate man did desperate things.

She got up and moved towards him, and he halfway expected her to hug him, like she'd done half a dozen times before. Though those hugs were hellos, more than goodbyes. Instead she stood a few feet from him, and put a hand on his shoulder straightening his collar.

"Good luck, Wyatt." She said, and he could see that she sincerely meant it. But she was already distancing herself more from him. And it only added to his ache.

"Thank you, ma'am." He said. He'd added the "ma'am" for her benefit and it paid off, meaning that he got a little sad smile out of her.

As he turned his back on her and walked out the door, he knew this might be the last time he saw her. That was if he managed to change this one event, which meant that he could have his wife back. His life would surely be different; Lucy might not even remember him. But he would remember her though, and be grateful for what she'd done for him.

Walking away he left all the possibilities behind. What could have been disappeared as soon as he closed that door. He had his doubts after seeing her, but he wouldn't allow them to seep in and take hold. Despite all this he would never not have gone to see her before doing something like this. She deserved that much, deserved to know. Not knowing was _his_ foe, he wasn't going to make it hers as well.

He had promised both Lucy and Rufus that nobody would get hurt on this his last time mission. And he intended to keep that promise. What he hadn't counted on however was that this should also have included himself, and that it might be more than just physical pain.

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 **A/N:** I know the events in this scene is a bit turned around, sorry for that, it just fitted better in my little fic this way.

 _Side note:_ I love the way Lucy gives the boys hugs, half running and full embrace :)

I'm curious to know what people think about those extra 4 minutes, before Lucy called to tell that the others were gone. Why were they added? I need more fics people, to sustain me until this hiatus is over.


End file.
